1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combined wall cabinet and self-contained, retractable ironing board of the type in which the ironing board is concealed in an interior cavity of the wall when not in use and is accessed through a cabinet mounted in a recess in the wall and having a hinged door for access to the ironing board.
2. State of the Art
It is well known in the prior art to provide storage for an ironing board within an interior cavity of a wall when the ironing board is not in use and to provide access to the ironing board when the board is to be used. A search of the patent literature produced the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 960,213, to A. D. Williams, dated 5/31/10; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,202,959 to F. M. Biggs, dated 10/31/16; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,207,747 to A. E. Grimshaw, dated 12/12/16; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,541,342 to A. I. Friel, dated 6/9/25; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,568,228 to G. A. Lippert, dated 1/5/26; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,106,044 to L. R. Young, dated 1/18/38; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,527,682 to M. H. Lyon, dated 10/31/50; and PA1 U.K. Pat. No. 372,948 to J. Walker, dated 5/19/32.
The patents to Williams, Biggs, Grimshaw, Friel and Walker all disclose means of housing an elongate ironing board within a cavity between the support members of the wall. An opening is provided in the wall for access to the ironing board. The access opening has a vertical dimension which is at least as large as the elongate dimension of the ironing board. In addition, moving mechanical means comprising guide bars, sliding bearings, slots and tracks for movement of the guide bars and other moving parts are provided for guiding and moving the ironing board within the cavity in the wall.
The patents to Lippert and Young show a wall cabinet combined with an ironing board. In each of the latter patents, the cabinet has a vertical dimension which is at least as great as the longitudinal dimension of the respective ironing board. The cabinet is positioned between adjacent support members within the interior of the wall, and an opening is provided within the upper portion of the cabinet to the inside of the cabinet. A corresponding opening is provided in the outer sheeting of the wall, with the opening in the wall sheeting being in registry with the opening in the cabinet. A substantial portion of the cabinet is positioned within the wall and below the opening in the wall. In new construction, the cabinet must be installed within the wall structure before the wall sheeting is applied. With existing wall construction, the sheeting on the wall in the area of the cabinet must be removed to allow installation of the cabinet, with replacement sheeting being reapplied after placement of the cabinet. In common with the structure of the first mentioned patents, the latter patents both teach the necessity of moving mechanical means comprising guide bars, sliding bearings, slots and tracks for movement of the guide bars and other moving parts in guiding and moving the ironing board within the cabinet.
3. Objectives
A principal objective of the invention is to provide a novel wall cabinet and self-contained, retractable ironing board in which the wall cabinet unit can be installed within a relatively small opening in a wall between vertical support members of the wall, with the wall cabinet unit being constructed such that the cabinet has a vertical dimension no greater than the elongate dimension of the opening in the wall, and the elongate, retractable ironing board has a longitudinal length greater than the cabinet or the elongate dimension of the opening in the wall, and wherein the ironing board is stored, when not in use, in a generally upright, concealed position within the wall and can be pulled upwardly and outwardly from the cabinet to a stable, generally horizontal working position extending outwardly from the base of the cabinet.
A particular objective of the present invention is to provide such a wall cabinet and ironing board combination in which the only moving members are the ironing board itself and the door of the cabinet, with no moving mechanical parts such as swinging braces, guide bars, sliding bearings, and slots and tracks for movement of the guide bars as are contained in the wall cabinets of the prior art.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide such a wall cabinet and ironing board combination in which a storage shelf and electrical outlet are provided within the cabinet.
An additional objective of the present invention is to provide such a wall cabinet and ironing board combination in which the ironing board when stored in its upright position within the wall cavity, is wedged with its bottom end engaging the interior surface of the inner wall cavity and its upper portion contacting a shelf provided within the cabinet itself, with the shelf in turn further being adapted to hold such items as an iron and other ironing aids.
A still further objective of the present invention is to provide such a wall cabinet and ironing board combination which can be readily installed into a wall at any desired height and can further be installed into a wall constructed of any conventional vertical supports such as conventional wood studs.